Commercial Truck Insurance in Americus, GA

AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - On Monday, plenty of people in Americus got to say their final farewells as the 39th first lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter was escorted to places where her impact is still felt today.

She was transported to the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta to lie peacefully in repose. Her remains will return to Plains on Wednesday where she will be buried at the Carter home.

A lot of people still pondering over how to properly say goodbye to the former First Lady of the United States.

“Mrs. Carter was a very gracious woman. I was just up at the hospital there. We had a viewing her in the casket and it was very emotional,” said Bill Bush, Carter Family retired U.S. Secret Service agent

Whether it’s a heartwarming message of thankfulness or a form of respect through red, white, and blue, people are making sure to honor the powerful woman who’s often referred to as Steel Magnolia.

“You talk about great people and they’re not really great because of the titles that they hold or positions that they may have had,” said Sanford Bishop, Georgia Representative. “What’s most important is servitude and I guess measured by the standards of greatness that Jesus set. That he was great among you shall be a servant and greatness shall be serviced onto all. Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter, throughout their lives, have demonstrated that greatness.”

The city of Americus was chosen for the first day of her memorial service, mainly because of her lasting legacy at her Alma Mater. You could argue Georgia Southwestern State College (GSW) is where she became a leader – a leader who had a voice in national policy and was respected on the world stage.

Her name and memory are literally embedded into the campus. Neal Weaver, GSW president, got to lay wreaths near the bronze statue of Rosalynn.

“It’s a big loss for the institution because she loved this place so much. She dedicated a lot of her time and energy to being here and to making sure that this campus continued to provide the opportunities for other students that it provided for her. So we’re going to miss that,” he said.

While many said they weren’t lucky enough to meet Rosalynn Carter in person, they say they’re grateful to see Rosalynn in her final transition. For many, it was their last chance to be this close to her.

“We’re just grateful for the opportunity to be able to witness a historic moment. We share in the thoughts and prayers with them and certainly, the days and weeks to come will be tougher than this actual moment of missing her,” said Diadrda Powell, an Americus resident.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter once said “Kindness is the connections that links us All together”. Many nationwide would agree that Mrs.Carter’s legacy has not only linked us all together but also made the world a better place. Lenah Allen, WALB, your hometown news source.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.

PLAINS, Ga. (WALB) - A Plains garden is now being created for Sumter County and surrounding rural areas. The goal is to make accessing food more convenient.

The Americus Housing Authority surveyed the area for those in need. So far, they have sent out 60 letters of interest, and 45 residents will soon have their own gardens.

“I loved it. It’s nice to have a garden out here and be able to put flowers out there, too,” said Mary Hathaway, a Plains resident.

Fredando “Farmer Fredo” Jackson is a Plains native himself. He says one benefit of the program is ensuring residents can sustain and feed themselves in a healthy way.

“But as we started going into the outskirts of Sumter County, we realized that the residents couldn’t necessarily make the food giveaways in Americus. So we thought about what it would look like if we brought the gardens directly to people’s homes,” said Jackson, executive director of Flint River Fresh.

Grow Your Groceries Program is an extension of what started with former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

“The housing story initiated the raised garden bed at the Carter unit, where we first started as a prototype because we are totally restoring the Carter Unit. The 24 units here in Plains were all built in the 1950s, and most people had gardens in their front and backyards,” said Diana Roberts, with the Americus Housing Authority.

Mary Hathaway tells WALB that ownership is important to her.

“My own vegetables that I grew myself that I didn’t have to get from the store,” said Hathaway.

“So, to be back in my home community, walk the same streets that I used to walk as a kid, and give back in a very holistic sort of organic way,” said Jackson. “So in addition to the raised garden boxes, we give individuals a grow guide that kind of goes step by step on how to care for the plants that are planted.”

Farmer Fredo is a Plains native himself. He says one benefit of the program is ensuring residents can sustain and feed themselves in a healthy way.

“It’s nice to have it right here because it’s something they haven’t done that I’ve wished they have done for a long time,” said Hathaway.

This program initially started with food giveaways in Americus, but one roadblock was access to transportation. Now, they are encouraging other areas to follow suit.

“So our goal now is to reach out to our outline areas to those areas of Plains, Leslie and Andersonville to provide these beds for those units. And we feel it will greatly benefit our low-income to moderate-income families because it will allow them to grow fresh vegetables at home,” said Roberts.

Hathaway says having her own garden cuts down on the cost of groceries.

“Get a box, and start your own garden, that way you don’t have to pay that much at the store,” said Hathaway.

The applications are still accepted until April 1st. You can find those details here.

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AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - Take a ride down Main Street in Americus, and you’ll see new businesses and investments popping up downtown. But these additions are strategic and come after community feedback on what they’d like to see more of in the area.

Along the corner of Forsyth and North Jackson Street is where investors have built new businesses, and for some, have restored old buildings.

“A lot of cities I know me and my wife’s favorite thing to do is walk downtown in a lot of historic cities, and that’s Americus. West Southwest Georgia, I feel like there aren’t many cities like Americus, so that draws a lot of people,” said Peter Horton, owner of Kairos PeMo’s Coffee Shop.

According to Main Street Director Qaijuan Willis, residents want more family-friendly activities and more nightlife downtown.

“During COVID a lot of those developments started to slow. Now we are starting to see businesses pick back up. We have a new ice cream shop, new restaurants, several things are happening,” said Willis.

Part of the 2024 plan to revitalize downtown includes four focus areas: goal setting, resource allocation, performance measures and funding.

But it’s the feeling that people get when they visit the downtown area and the relationships they build with businesses there that keep people coming back.

“Just the smiles, the memories that were made when I was a small child as well as so many others in Americus. And this is just what that kind of brings back,” said Kenny Phillips, owner of Scoop’s Ice Cream.

“We are looking at ways to have people linger longer. So that is taking a look at our benches, our picnic tables our parks. Making sure they are welcoming and inviting, as they are eating as they are shopping downtown,” said Willis.

Teresa Phillips is not originally from Americus but decided to move to the area because it felt like home.

“Family. I would say I felt like I was coming home,” said Phillips.

“Well, I think talking to local businesses helps a lot in identifying what the needs are. And people that are first-hand on the scene here in Downtown knowing what we are missing and what we don’t have,” said Kenny Phillips, owner of Scoop’s Ice Cream.

Peter Hornton has had a smooth transition to Americus just within the last month. He says the key is.

“So I would say just focusing on quality and customers. Let them know what you stand for and I think people would want to stand with somebody that stands for something. So just make your views known and have a great product, and be awesome with your customers,” said Peter Horton, Owner of Kairos PeMo’s Coffee Shop.

In 2023, Main Street has helped over nine new businesses downtown. They plan to focus on the Cotton Avenue area first to fill some of those gaps.

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AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - Downtown Americus is growing! The Spot: Latin Fusion Restaurant and Bar is adding to the downtown foot traffic by opening on days when most businesses are closed.

Main Street in Americus has helped over 100 new downtown businesses in 2023. One business owner says starting a new business may be scary, but the first step is agreeing to start.

“We need it to occupy all these spaces in downtown, and there is a lot of fear because people want guarantee but the only way to guarantee something is by doing it and working it,” said Yorka Ralwins, owner of the Spot.

Downtown Americus continues to grow with new businesses and one that stands out is the Spot which provides a service for both entertainment and food on Sunday and Monday, when most businesses are closed.

“It’s kind of like a refreshing thing to come back to where I come from, what makes me inspired, what makes me passionate about what I do,” said Chef Sky Salazar.

At the Spot, people can enjoy food, live music and cultures representing four different countries.

“You know just the downtown ambiance and the local it’s nice to have somewhere local and being able to support local and support our community,” said Ashley McCollum, an Americus Resident.

“The more you have in a small downtown, the more people come. So, this is just another restaurant a great addition to downtown. So, hopefully, it will increase business day and night,” said Chuck Smith, owner of the Maze.

When asked why Americus? Ralwins says she is happy to be filling in the gaps of open spaces downtown.

“I see Americus as a white canvas. I’m an artist, and this is a white canvas that is just waiting to be painted. And it started already, there is a lot going on in that white canvas. A little bit more we will be having a wonderful masterpiece,” said Ralwins.

The Spot owners hope to inspire other entrepreneurs to take a leap of faith in starting a new business to continue to uplift your small South Georgia town. The Spot is located at 118 North Jackson Street in Americus.

Copyright 2024 WALB. All rights reserved.

AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - Americus is building its largest community park and will name it in honor of a Georgia music legend.

The park will honor Georgia Music Hall of Famer Reverend Pearly Brown. This park will feature the largest amphitheater in the region paying tribute to this music legend.

“Americus embraces music because it’s part of our roots, whether we are African American or white we can come together through music. We call it roots music, and blues and gospel, jazz, country music, blue grass. All of these tend to unite people,” Americus Mayor Lee Kinnamon said.

Brown was a blind self-taught artist who showcased his unique talents playing the sly guitar. His work inspired city officials and One Sumter to have his name linked to Americus.

“This is going to be a multi-use park. So, it’s going to be a park that’s open during the day for anyone to enjoy. But we felt like we heard this consistent theme that music needed to be a part of it. Americus doesn’t have a big venue for music, and especially post COVID everyone is looking for outdoor facilities to use,” Bill Harris, One Sumter Board Member, said.

The Kinnamon has one message for Brown if he was here today.

“He would be grateful to see Sumter County uniting behind this project. He certainly understood the power of music to unite people across races, generations, genders and so forth and bringing people together and so forth,” Kinnamon said.

“The overall project will cost three to five million depending on how much of it we are able to complete. That’s just going to depend directly on how much we are able to fundraise. We’ve got a good start, an unexpected, good start. We got a 1.26-million-dollar grant that Senator Jon Ossoff’s office was able to help us get,” Harris said.

City officials and One Sumter are asking the community to help push this project forward, and one way you can do that is by purchasing a brick to help fundraise.

Harris hopes the project will touch the lives of the community being from a small town.

“He always said he wanted to support himself and this was a way he could do it by playing on the streets and collecting money. He supported himself throughout his life by doing this. So, I think that’s an incredible example of no matter what your gifts are figure out a way to use them in this world,” Harris said.

City leaders hope that the family, and others, will be inspired by his work despite his disability.

“Inspiration or should be an inspiration to others who struggle with disabilities and those who have disabilities can overcome these just as Pearly Brown did,” Kinnamon said.

The project will be fully completed sometime in 2025 but city leaders and One Sumter hope to have parts of the project functioning within a year or two.

If you would like to purchase a brick directly, you can click here, or you can send a check to One Sumter.

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